On the occasion of Walt Frazier’s “Rockin™ Steady: A Guide to Basketball and Cool” being reissued, Clyde (above, left) was quizzed by Slam.com’s Kyle Stack on a variety of topics, including but not limited to the MSG fashion plate’s sartorial advice for the younger generation. Of his early ’70’s aesthetic, Frazier modestly tells Stack, “I™m really astounded that I had that perception so far back.”
SLAM: When you™re getting dressed for a game broadcast, do you have a certain routine you go through at home to get ready?
CF: Yeah, a lot of people ask me what my closet looks like. I say my closet is a room. [Laughs] I have a room with racks and racks of clothes. So, sometimes in my spare time I™ll just go over certain outfits, see what goes with them. A day before a game, I might already have that suit laid out. What I do after I wear them is I take them loose. Sometimes I don™t know what combinations I wear with a suit; I have to keep my creativity going.
SLAM: Do you pay attention to what the players are wear before and after the game?
CF: They™re very casual. They wear warmups. [Amar’e] Stoudemire is pretty sharp; he likes a more tapered fit. [Chris] Duhon is a guy who used to wear suits all the time when he was on the team. I tell people when we were coming up, there were The Temptations, The Four Tops¦these guys were our idols and they wore suits all the time. So, all the players were competing to see who could dress the best. Now, these guys™ idols are rappers, so they dress like rappers.
SLAM: Do they ever come to you for fashion advice?
CF: Well, they give me compliments.
SLAM: What tips can you give to the everyday guy on fashion and grooming?
CF: Well, it™s not necessarily how expensive clothes are ” it™s the fit. Try to get something that fits you. And the color, a little pizzazz. The pocket handkerchief. I think that dresses you up